The support you need; the compassion you trust. When your child faces an uncertain future, you want the right care that reduces discomfort and allows you to focus on spending quality time with your child. For children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions such as cancer, severe brain injury or rare disease, Riley at IU Health offers comprehensive pediatric palliative care services.
Through palliative care, our purpose is to improve your child's quality of life when a cure may not be an option.
As a special approach to medicine, palliative care focuses on your family and your child’s goals as he or she faces a long-term, serious and life-threatening condition. Our palliative care team helps your family by providing support on all fronts. Whether it is helping you make a plan to reduce your child's pain or discomfort, introducing your family to a counselor or chaplain or guiding you through difficult medical decisions, the palliative care team at Riley at IU Health is available to assist with all these needs.
All of our patients receive the full range of palliative care services, but we provide a personalized method of approaching each child’s care. This ensures your child receives the best possible combination of treatments during this very important time
Riley at IU Health is the only source for pediatric outpatient palliative care in Indiana. Palliative care services are covered by insurance. At Riley at IU Health, we have the most specialized palliative care team in the area. Our team includes board-certified doctors, advanced practice nurses, and a social worker who have additional training in pediatric palliative care.
Conditions & Services
Services Offered
We offer a number of different Palliative Care services. Below are some, but not all, of the services that we provide. If you have a question about a specific service that is not listed here, please contact our department.
Doctors
and Locations
Doctors
Learn more about the palliative care doctors at Riley at IU Health.
Locations
Locations
Resources
Resources
Find helpful resources from Riley at IU Health below.
Resources
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Our patient advocates and social workers work with you at every step of the care process to make sure you have the tools you need to make care decisions for your child.
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Spiritual Care & Chaplain Services
Available around the clock, our chaplains provide emotional and spiritual support and can help you find a spiritual leader of your faith.
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Using music, our therapists create a safe environment where patients and families can share their thoughts and feelings.
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By guiding your child through art exercises, our art therapists help kids understand their feelings about illness and treatment.
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Regular visits from therapy animals can help your child deal with the stresses of illness and treatment.
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Our program provides compassionate, individualized support for families who have lost a child at Riley at IU Health.
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Pain and symptom management is an important aspect of integrative medicine and palliative care services at Riley at IU Health.
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Massage may be used to reduce pain and anxiety and improve symptoms in children with life-limiting illnesses at Riley at IU Health.
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For Health Professionals
The palliative care team at Riley at IU Health becomes part of a patient's care team when it becomes clear that a condition is irreversible and life-limiting or life-threatening. Patients are typically referred by a physician. To refer a patient, please put in a consult request and specify Palliative. Please contact our department at 317.944.3478 to learn more about our services.
Refer A Patient
Riley at IU Health works with referring physicians in Indiana and beyond.
Refer A PatientEducation
Riley at IU Health partners with the Indiana University School of Medicine to provide highly regarded training opportunities for medical students, residents and fellows, including the IU Palliative Care Fellowship.